Oh My Darling, Frankenstein
by sarasponda
Summary: A little Halloween horror-Darwinist style.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue **

**New Orleans, Louisiana. 1911**

It had been a horrible trip.

She had waited nearly three hours for her train. The weather had delayed it and it was nearly quarter to eleven before she arrived at her destination. New Orleans was an ugly city built within the swamps and quagmires of southern Louisiana. Being that this was her first trip to the United States, Nora had expected to be awed and inspired by this new country. America was known as the land of freedom and opportunity. Darwinism had been flourishing here and she had hoped to learn mountains of new information from the boffins in the states. However, her travels had become far less than satisfactory. Not only was her train terribly late, but the weather had gotten even worse.

"S'last stop, ma'am." Came the familiar drawl of the cabin boy. He smiled at her from the doorway of her train compartment. "We're at the City Station, miss, so the captain has ordered all passengers off. We won't be heading for downtown until morning."

Nora narrowed her eyes at the small dark skinned boy. His complexion was black as pitch but when he smiled it revealed teeth as white as a dove's feathers.

"The ticket I purchased is for complete travel and service to downtown New Orleans." She complained. "Why must I get off now?"

The boy continued to smile at her but she could see the annoyance flickering in his eyes.

"The bridge is flooded." He explained. "I'm sorry ma'am, but the beasties can't swim through a flooded bridge. They'll drown."

"Very well, then I suppose I shall have to walk the rest of the way."

"But miss! There isn't any way across!"  
>She ignored him, snapped up her umbrella and commanded him to retrieve her luggage.<p>

Ten minutes later, Nora was crossing the railway bridge into town. The Louisiana storm continued to roar through the sky, sending sheets of frigid water into her face and hair.

Her bowler hat was gone, long blown away by the ferocious wind and her boots were completely soaked through. All she had was the feeble lady's umbrella she had purchased back in London. The tiny cotton parasol was probably dumping more water on her instead of blocking it away, but she didn't have the heart to leave it behind.

When she finally arrived at Dr. Norton's house on the far side of the hill just past the cemetery, she almost broke his door down she was so miserable.

"Good heavens, Dr. Barlow! What on earth are you doing out in this mess! We didn't think you'd get here until morning." He ushered her inside and slammed the door behind her.

"It's been a long trip." Was all she could say.

He smiled at her and gave her a warm pat on the back. "I'm just delighted that you made it at all." He beamed.

Soon he had his maid sent for dry clothes and hot tea. Nora thanked him generously before he escorted her to his laboratory in the back of the house.

"It's a shame that you didn't bring Tazza."

"Yes, I miss him dearly. But the poor thing would have been miserable in all this rain."

"It does take some getting used to. The locals love it. They actually feel let down when the sun is shining." He shook his head in bewilderment and flashed another grin. She politely nodded but couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable around Dr. Norton's pleasant ambiance. The man had been through a horrendous tragedy and it was strange to hear him speak so cheerfully, especially when it concerned the local people.

Dr. Arnold Timothy Norton was a long time friend of hers. They had been colleagues at the university and he was one of the few men that treated her as an equal. Most of her class had seen her as the foolish girl with dreams too big for her ability. Women weren't supposed to be doctors, even if they were the granddaughters of historic figures.

But Arnold had respected her. Due to his low upbringing he was treated poorly himself. The students and professors of London University were cruel and pompous, but that hadn't stopped Nora from her studies. She earned a doctorate degree in only six years (far less than most of her male classmates) and had published her first book at the mere age of twenty. Needless to say she had stunned most of London's elite scholars who now treated her like the brilliant individual that she was.

Arnold had also succeeded wonderfully. He had several prestigious awards and had created a species of fabricated frog that could record a person's voice for hours on end.

Together they had exceeded everyone's expectations, creating a bonding friendship between them that had lasted for years. Even after Dr. Norton had moved to New Orleans to continue his research, Nora still had kept in contact with him. She continued to write, even when he fell in love with a beautiful assistant and married her. And he had faithfully continued his letters to her when she had married Alfred Barlow two years ago. It had been a long distance relationship, and they had never actually spoken face to face in eight years.

Unfortunately it was a heartbreaking misfortune that brought Nora across the ocean and back in the company of her old friend. He still looked the same at least. His dark ebony hair was shiny as ever and his black eyes glittered at her. Even his smile brought the same warmth to her cheeks that she had long forgotten.

She had expected him to be sad, even tearful. But Alfred Norton was the epitome of delight.

_Strange. _She thought. _For a man to be so happy after the death of his wife. _

She had only met Mrs. Norton once. A delicate, blond, southern belle, Molly Norton was everything to her husband. Nora had never expected Arnold to fall for an American woman, but Molly was delightful. Everyone who met her loved her. She was a native to New Orleans who studied medicine at the local hospital. During her clinical education she had been assigned to Arnold's laboratory as an assistant where the two immediately fell in love. They had been inseparable ever since.

Two weeks ago Nora had received an urgent message via lizard. It had stated that there had been a terrible accident. Mrs. Norton had left work one late October evening. She never made it home.

They found her body the next morning washed up on the shore of the river. Somehow she had fallen into the murky depths and drowned. Her purse, wedding band and pearl necklace were missing. The message lizard had described it as an accident, but the papers had it chalked up as a murder. She had only been twenty five years old. It made Nora cold just thinking about it.

"I came as soon as I could." She said, interrupting herself from her morbid thoughts. "When I got the message, Arnold, I nearly cried myself silly. Poor Molly. I can't tell you how sorry I am."

He sat down next to her at the little wooden table. There were no other signs of furniture in the laboratory, only large glass tanks that stood from ceiling to floor. Each one was packed with thousands of amphibious creatures swimming about in the greenish light of a glowworm lantern.

"There is no reason to be sorry, Nora." He grinned at her again. The exuberance on his face made her shudder. "Molly has passed on to the next stage."

She nodded. "I guess it is best to think of it that way. I was never very religious, but I'm sure if there is a heaven she would be there."

"No, Nora." He shook his head. Dr. Barlow frowned.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I don't mean that she's passed on forever. Just that she's been….transformed, so I should say, into the next stage."

Nora felt suddenly very uneasy. There was a different gleam to Dr. Norton's eye, like a man who had just witnessed a miracle.

"I don't think I understand what you're saying."

"Of course not!" He laughed, batting the air with one hand. "It's very difficult to explain. I'd have to show you. Follow me."

Frightened, but very curious, Nora watched him rise from his chair and gesture her into the next room. It was a darker and cooler enclosure about the size of a small bedroom. Most of the floor was occupied by the largest fish tank she had ever seen. It was nearly as large as the entire room and nearly half a meter taller than her. The water was murky so she couldn't make out what was inside, but it looked like a large motionless creature.

"One moment, let me adjust the lights." Arnold snapped his fingers and the glowworms inside the tank brightened until the contents inside became ghastly clear. Through the glass and aquamarine water, Dr. Barlow made out the figure of a woman floating in the water. She wore a white shroud that enveloped her body and drifted lightly in the water like a jelly fish. Blond hair flowed and sparkled in the light around her as a stream of bubbles erupted from her nose and mouth. Entranced, Nora took a step closer and screamed.

It was Molly, or what was left of her. There was no question that the woman was dead. Her skin was blue as bone and her hair that flowed around her was falling out of her scalp and drifting around the tank like thin golden eels. The burial garment she wore clung to her like a spider silk and her limbs were stiff with rigor mortis.

Nora had seen plenty of cadavers in her day. That was how a young doctor studied biology. She prided herself as one of the few women who didn't startle at the sight of a corpse.

But this was different. Molly was no longer just a corpse, she was more than that.

Unable to stop herself, Nora took one more step closer, her nose practically touching the glass. Beneath the water and the bubbles pouring out of the cadaver's mouth, Nora thought she saw the fingers move. Not only that, but the fingers were _webbed. _Another look at the feet concluded that the toes were webbed as well.

"But…..HOW?"

"Amazing, no?" Dr. Norton chimed from behind. "I mutated her genes. Spliced her DNA with that of a bullfrog. And with a little bit of luck I was able to save her."

"SAVE HER!" Nora's face was purpling. She turned abruptly to face Arnold, her own toes squeaked in the rain water that still sloshed around in her boots. "Are you telling me you altered human life threads!"

Arnold shrugged. "Human biology is a small step away from our animal cousins. I would think you, Miss _Darwin, _of all people, would understand."

She gave another scream. "In case you have forgotten our very first lesson in genetics, Dr. Norton, one is never, NEVER, supposed to adjust the life threads of human DNA. It's illegal _and _unethical! Let alone," She pointed back at the corpse. "You are using it for dreaded taboo of _RAISING THE DEAD!_"

Norton only smiled. "I was afraid this would happen." He sighed and gestured to the door. "You are a dear friend, Nora, but if you can't even try to understand the good I have done, then I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Nora didn't move. She held her fists at her side and glared at her old friend. Was this the same man she had been writing to for years? Or had he changed into a completely different person? His coal black eyes glittered at her in the lamp light until she finally pulled her gaze away and turned her head toward the large fish tank behind her.

_This is a miracle. _She thought. _He's finally found the secret for cheating death. _ She gazed at Molly for a second longer, just long enough to see the corpse's head turn slightly and Molly's eyes snap open to stare right at her.

Nora didn't stay a half a second longer. She shoved Dr. Norton out of her way, ran through the laboratory, up the steps and out the front door and back into the storm. She ignored the rain and hardly noticed that she had left her umbrella and suitcase back at the house. Instead she ran all the way back to the train station where she promptly ordered a one way ticket back to Boston. There, she would depart on the next airbeast to London, and hope never to return to Louisiana again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Back on the _Leviathan_**

**A few days after the end of _Goliath_**

A raging gale blew over the ship, sending a sheet of icy raindrops over the starboard engine and straight into Deryn's face. She sputtered a bit and wiped her face with her wet sleeve. It didn't help much but at least it got the barking water out of her eyes. Chilled to the bone, Deryn wrapped her arms tighter around herself and turned to face her back to the wind.

She wished Alek was with her. Last time it was raining this bad they were climbing topside, struggling daftly to attach Tesla's dumb wireless antenna. Alek may have rattled his brains that night when he clunked his head open, but she had also been able to kiss him.

She had stolen several kisses since then, and it made her smile to think about it. Hell, she must have been smiling all the time lately. Even now, on a dark stormy night when she was supposed to be on first watch duty, she was too busy thinking about Alek instead of paying full attention to her post.

Deryn sighed. It would have been nice to have Alek with her. He probably wouldn't mind helping keep her warm. But her prince was probably fast asleep, curled up with Bovril and snoring away.

A flash shot through the sky as a tendril of lightening broke through the clouds and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean below the ship. Deryn shuddered. Standing in the rain was barking miserable enough but on top of that she had to be reminded of hot air balloons exploding every time a lightening bolt struck.

She closed her eyes and tried to push her mind back to happy thoughts about Alek and kissing, but the storm seemed to be getting stronger. The wind changed directions and spattered more freezing water into her eyes. Turning around again, she now faced the wooden doors behind her. They were bolted with heavy steel bars, probably the only things on the ship, besides the engines, that were made of metal.

The door had been a focal point of interest over the past few weeks. Since she had arrived on the _Leviathan_ for the first time, Deryn had seen and memorized almost every inch of it. She would bet she knew the ship as well as the captain and the shipwright combined. Every room had been drawn in detail in her sketchpad. Every room, that is, except for the one that lay behind the steel bolted doors. It had simply been called the 'contact room', and no one was allowed admittance. Not a soul.

It was mysterious all right, and everyone aboard had their presumptions about what could be inside.

Dr. Barlow claimed it was only more intestines of the airbeast that were too delicate to be bothered. The kitchen staff guessed that there were valuables inside such as diamonds and emeralds as large as apples. Newkirk thought it might be a horrible beastie waiting to attack the Clankers, while Mr. Rigby went on about thousands of pounds of gunpowder and high explosives. Even Alek had his opinions about the contact room.

"It's probably just paperwork." He had told her that evening. "Every ship has important documents in case of emergencies."

"What kind of documents?" She had asked.

"Deeds mainly, or legal testimonials about the ship in case someone was to take us hostage or there was a mutiny. That way they would always know that the _Leviathan _was originally a British air vessel."

Deryn snorted at that. "Well that's awful dull. Seems pretty stupid to have someone guarding it all the time."

Indeed, someone was guarding the contact room all the barking time. Even on blistering cold nights such as this one. She didn't want to believe that she was freezing her bum off for a couple of papers, but even so, she didn't have much choice. The captain had someone on guard duty at the doors of the contact room every second of every day. She recalled that even during battle he had made certain that there was at least one soldier standing in front of the wooden doors making sure that no one opened them.

It would probably remain a mystery. In three days time they would be back in London and Deryn would disembark from the _Leviathan _for good. She had hoped her last few duties wouldn't include standing out in the rain. At least it beat swabbing out the latrines.

Another draft of wind brushed over her face. It was warm this time, like she had walked through the gastric chamber of the airbeast. But the breeze didn't smell of hydrogen. Instead, it was a putrid scent of decomposing meat. Deryn wrinkled up her nose and took a closer look at where the smell had come from. It didn't take her long to notice that the steel bolted door was open ever so slightly. It was just a wee crack but it was enough to let the gust of air float through.

She was confused as to why she hadn't noticed it earlier, but didn't stop to ponder it too much. Slowly, Deryn reached out to close the door but stopped herself when a noise penetrated from the contact room.

It sounded like a moan, a human moan, something between a painful cry and a desperate yell for help. Puzzled, she ended up pushing the door open instead of closing it.

"Is there someone in there?"

"Yes." Said a soft voice. "Get in here and give me something to eat."

Deryn gulped. After all this time they were keeping _people _locked up in there.

"Ummm… so sorry, captain's orders are to keep the doors…."

"Do I sound like I give a damn what that fool of a captain wants? Now, are you just going to stand out in the rain or are you going to make yourself useful and bring me a snack?"

She should have run away. She should have shut the door, turned around and ran straight back to her warm room and gone to bed. But Deryn was too curious to leave it at that. She had been wondering for a long time what was behind these doors. And the person inside was only asking for food. Who knows how long they had been sitting there without a proper bite to eat?

Slowly she bumped the door open with her foot and tiptoed into the dark enclosure. Immediately she had to cover her mouth and nose with her hands because the stench was so horrid. Trying not to gag, Deryn allowed her eyes to adjust to the dim room.

It was much larger than she had expected, nearly twice as big as the middy mess. The place was littered with garbage. Broken wooden crates were scattered across the floor along with hundreds of dead fish which seemed to have the meat sucked out of them, leaving nothing but bones and skin. Her eyes adjusted more and she made out what looked like a large cage toward the back of the room. Inside was a long glass tub filled with murky water. A woman sat in the tank. A very odd looking woman.

She was completely nude and her skin had an eerie hue to it, almost green. There was no hair on her head, and it looked like she didn't have ears, only large brown spots where the ears should be.

"Close the door, idiot, I don't want to freeze to death." The woman spoke. "And bring me one of those sea bass, I'm starving."

Deryn shook her head. "I think I should go." She managed to mutter. This was too barking strange. She shouldn't be here and she shouldn't be talking to this woman.

"NOOOO!" The woman shrieked. It was such I high pitch cry that Deryn was afraid she'd gone deaf. "You aren't going anywhere until I get something to eat! It's been hours since my last feeding and if you don't bring me one of those God damn fish right now, I'm just going to start screaming again."

Deryn moved toward the door and was about to leave when the woman let out another screech, this time even louder.

"STOP! You don't want me to scream again, pal, or else I'll wake up the entire ship. And I don't think they'd be very happy if they found you in here."

Deryn froze and turned around to face the woman.

"I can't…"  
>"Get over yourself; it's not that big of a deal. All I need is for you to grab me some grub and carry it over here."<p>

Deryn paused a moment to think it over. It wasn't like the woman was asking her a huge favor; she could handle giving her something to eat. "Okay," She said. "Where's the fish?"

The creepy woman smiled and pointed toward a crate on the far left side of the room. Deryn had to swallow down a gasp when the woman lifted her hand to point. She didn't have fingers, but webbed froglike toes.

"Hey dumbass, are you just going to stand there and stare, or are you going to get me my food?"

Deryn finally was able to move and headed over to the crate of fish. It was stuffed with rotting sea bass and she grabbed one quickly before having to smell any more of the rotten odor.

"You really are a slow one, aren't you?" The frog woman said.

Deryn gave her a slight scowl before getting up the nerve to cross the short distance to the cage on the other side of the room. As she walked closer, Deryn realized other very odd things about this woman. For example, she didn't appear to have legs. They were more like flippers that bent sideways at the knee joint and large fan shaped feet. Her skin was grey and scaly looking in her arms and torso, but beneath her hips it became slimy in texture and green in color. The pool of water she sat in came up to her waist and she stunk of death.

"Barking spiders!" Deryn swore. This woman was a fabrication, a human fabrication.

"You need to get a bit closer, dummy." The woman snapped, but Deryn didn't want to get any closer, she was about ready to throw the fish away and bolt toward the door. Unfortunately the frog woman seemed to notice her hesitation and reached out one of her long nasty arms to snag Deryn's wrist through the bars of the cage.

"LET GO OF ME!"

"I thought I made myself clear!" She grumbled, pulling Deryn closer to her with ease. "If I don't get what I want, I'm going to scream. And believe me; you don't want to hear me scream."

Deryn was about to scream herself but couldn't. She was now inches away from the frog lady. The woman reached out with her other webbed hand, snatched Deryn by the neck and yanked her in so their faces were almost touching through the bars of the cage.

"Well, boy?" She mumbled. Deryn managed a nod and the woman let go. In an instant, she had thrown the fish into the enclosure and taken a good three or four steps back away from the cage.

"I have to…." Deryn began to speak, but then stopped. For some reason her throat felt like it was on fire. She reached up with one hand to touch her neck where the woman had grabbed her. It was clammy and cold to the touch, like she had suddenly lost circulation. It also hurt like barking mad.

"ACHHH!" Deryn screamed, for when she pulled her hand away from her throat, her fingers had also gone strangely cold. "What did you do to me!" She shouted.

The woman wasn't eating her fish. It lay abandoned in her lap as she stared at Deryn in horror.

"NO!" She gasped. "This can't happen to you, it's not possible! You aren't a…. unless…heaven's no! What have I done?  
>"What do you mean…" Deryn started to speak again but choked. Like the rain crashing against the side of the ship, a shot of pain ran through her body. It started at her throat and ran into her stomach. Her insides felt like they were being ripped out of her and pulled back out of her mouth. The stench of the room was making her head spin so she turned and bolted out the door.<p>

By the time she reached the deck she couldn't walk any more. She fell to her knees and crawled across the wooden floor boards, ignoring the ice cold water that pooled around the deck. She had begun to wretch up bile from her belly and tried to crawl to the railing so she could puke into the ocean instead of all over the ground. She never made it that far, though. Instead she managed to find a pile of rope to crumple into and continued to shudder and vomit between gasps.

_What's happening to me? _She thought.

From the contact room she heard a distant scream that sounded like someone was shouting for help. She realized she never did manage to close the door after all.


	3. Chapter 3

"Your stance is atrocious, your highness." Volger said.

Alek rearranged his feet for the fifth time and lifted his sword arm again, pointing the saber at his fencing master's chest. Volger only shook his head.

"Simply dreadful. It's as if I've taught you nothing. What's the matter with you lately? You seem terribly distracted."

Distracted was the light way of putting it. Alek had been completely overwhelmed these past two days. He had finally discovered that he was in love with his best friend and that she was in love with him in return. The idea of it still made him dizzy and often he found himself daydreaming about the female midshipman when he should have been paying attention to more practical things, like fencing.

And that was only part of it. He also had thrown away his claim to the throne of Austria-Hungary. The memory of tossing away the scroll that his father had toiled over still plagued Alek's nightmares. A tiny part of him regretted that action. He didn't deserve a peaceful life with Deryn. He was supposed to rule an empire, even if it made him miserable.

But the one thing that distracted him the most from his stance was that he hadn't told Volger anything. That would have to change very soon.

"…to keep your elbows locked and...your highness? Alek….ALEKSANDER? Are you even listening to me?"

"Oh ummm sorry, sir. I was just thinking."

Volger lowered his own saber and frowned. "Indeed, you are always thinking. But apparently never about the correct thing. I will remind you that these lessons are very important for your physical and mental well being."

"My well being would be much improved if I were allowed to sleep in the middle of the night like a normal person." Alek growled.

"Young Mozart was often awakened from his slumber and forced to perform symphonies by candlelight into the early hours of the morning." Volger pronounced strongly.

Alek rolled his eyes. "Yes, but I'm sure he wasn't forced to play his harpsichord in the pouring rain."

Indeed it was raining buckets. Freezing water fell through Alek's hair and down his neck like icy fingertips on skin. In the distance he could make out lightening zapping through the clouds and the wind was biting harshly. None of it made fencing at all appealing.

"Try again. As soon as you get it right we can leave." Volger said.

Delighted at the prospect of leaving the deck and returning to his cabin, Alek lifted his saber one more time. Volger was about to rise into his own perfect stance when he bent his head suddenly to the right and lifted his eyebrows.

"Did you hear that?" He asked Alek.

"Hear what?"

"It sounds like a woman screaming."

Perplexed, Alek turned his head in the same direction and tried to pinpoint sounds over the storm. Instantly he heard the high pitched screech piercing through the air. It didn't sound human at all.

"Stay here, your highness, I'll go investigate." Volger stated. He didn't wait for a response and left immediately toward the scream from the other end of the airship.

Alek stood in shock for a few moments, letting the rain pour down his face. Yet when he heard Volger yell for him to come quickly, he dashed after him as fast as he could without slipping on the deck.

He found the Count toward the starboard side of the ship. The man was huddled over a slumped figure that was shaking uncontrollably. Through the rain Alek could barely make out that it was a person until he was only a meter away.

The figure was kneeling on the ground, hunched over like an angry cat. His body was covered in a drenched piloting jacket that was not only soaked from the rain, but of another black tar-like substance.

Alek squatted down and inched closer but Volger shoved him away.

"DON'T!" He shouted. "Don't look! Go get help!"

Alek had never seen him look so frightened. Volger's face was pale as ivory and his eyes were wide as ostrich eggs.

"Good heaven's man, what's wrong?" Alek crawled a bit closer and then realized instantly what was the matter. The figure was none other than Deryn, and the black tar was coming out of her mouth.

She was spewing it out like a faucet and the substance was splattering all over the deck along with the rain. It stunk of rotted meat and didn't seem to be letting up anytime soon, but Alek yanked her into his arms all the same.

"DERYN!" He held her quivering body against his own, trying to stop her from shuddering so much. "God's wounds, Deryn, what did you eat?"

She retched up more black slime for a moment before she finally got a break to let out a painful sob. Alek removed the hood that was plastered to her head, then brushed her soaked hair away from her face. She looked up at him. He screamed.

"GOOD GOD!" He pushed her away. "VOLGER! Look at her! She's…."

He couldn't say what Deryn was. She was changed, that was for sure. Her cheeks had sunken in and her lips had changed colors. Something about her skin was off. He couldn't say exactly what was so different about her, but whatever it was it made him incredibly frightened.

"I told you not to look." Volger stated. It wasn't a scolding. "Now go get a medic, I'll stay with her."

"No." Deryn said. She reached out and grabbed Alek's wrist. The touch of her hand against his skin was cold and clammy. "Alek stays with me."

_Her voice is the same. _Alek thought with relief. He swallowed hard before taking another look into Deryn's face. It was still horribly alarming, but this time he looked directly into her eyes. Another sigh of relief escaped him. Deryn's eyes were still the same as well.

"Go, Volger." He commanded in a soft whisper. Thankfully the wildcount didn't argue and soon departed from the deck.

"Deryn…" Alek had the sudden need to touch her. He reached out with one hand to brush a stray hair away from her face. But when he pulled his fingers away, it was only to see a large clump of blond locks in his grasp. His eyes widened and he quickly examined Deryn's scalp. There was a bald spot the size of a coin where the hair used to be.

She saw the clump in his hands and instantly snapped her hand to her head in horror. Alek's heart broke as he saw her react to the smooth exposed skin where her hair used to be. As she pulled her fingers away, Deryn looked at her hand and let out another sob. Her index finger and thumb seemed to be connected by a new flap of skin, almost like they were webbed.

"What…..what's happening to me!" She cried.

Uncontrollably, Alek pulled her back into his arms. She gave one more cry before she coughed, shoved him away, then vomited even more black sludge across the deck.

It was then that Alek noticed the doorway behind them. The metal locks that had bolted the contact room closed were wide open. There was a high pitched yelp echoing from inside, almost like the mournful cry of a lone wolf. This had been the scream they had heard across the deck.

Alek shivered. Whatever was in that room had something to do with what had happened to Deryn. He yanked her small quivering body back toward him and wrapped both arms around her waist. Above her shoulders he could still make out the contact room looming behind them.

_God's wounds, _He thought. _What have the Darwinists done now? _


	4. Chapter 4

It was difficult for Deryn to concentrate on anything besides barfing. She tried to stop herself, but every moment caused her to gag and spew more of the black nasty stuff out of her throat. Poor Alek was trying to help her and all she could do was continue to puke up all over his clothes.

After what felt like a month, her insides seemed to settle a squick and she was able to stop throwing up. Deryn gasped and wiped the tears and mess from her face. Finally, her body let her lie down and rest. After a second she realized she was no longer on the rainy deck, but in a bed.

"Wha…barking spiders. What happened?"

"I'm a bit perplexed about that as well." Alek said. He was sitting on the floor beside the bed, wiping up some of the vomit.

"How did I get here?" She asked.

He gave her the smallest of smiles. "I attempted to carry you. It was actually more like dragging you across the deck while you were sick." He stood. "It's good to see you feeling better."

Another smile flashed over Alek's face, but Deryn could tell it didn't fully reach his eyes. A second later he was frowning again while looking her over nervously.

"I can't say that I feel one hundred percent." Deryn commented. True, she wasn't in miserable pain anymore, but she still felt very odd. Her skin prickled strangely against the sheets she was lying in, almost like she was sticking to them. She felt immensely dizzy and her eyelids were difficult to open and close. The worst of it though was how thirsty she was. Her mouth and throat were so dry it felt like she had swallowed a handful of sand. "Could you get me some water?" She asked Alek.

He nodded and rushed to the bed stand where a pitcher of drinking water was kept as it was in every cabin on the _Leviathan._ That got Deryn to thinking again.

"Whose room is this?" She asked.

Alek blushed crimson as he began to pour some water into a tea cup.

"Volger's." He said solemnly, obviously embarrassed by the mess she had created in his fencing master's bed chamber. "It was the closest one to where we were. He was instructing me on my fencing when…well, when you became ill."

"Oh." She said. "And that's completely normal, practicing fencing at two in the morning?" She gave him a sarcastic sneer. He didn't respond so she rolled her eyes and began to look around the cabin.

She hadn't recognized the room at first, probably since she had only been in the front part of it and because the lighting was so dim. "What's wrong with the glowworms?"

Alek had another nervous look on his face as he brought her the cup of water. She gulped it down in two swallows then stuck out her hand for more. He delicately took the porcelain cup back from her, being careful not to brush his fingers against hers. Bewildered, Deryn looked at her hand and gasped.

She had forgotten that her fingers were webbed.

"BARKING SPIDERS!"

"Now calm down, Deryn. Volger went to go get a doctor and…"

She ripped the covers off of herself, hoping that the rest of her body was still the same.

It wasn't.

She couldn't see anything too clearly because of the ill lighting, but with her hands she could feel the changes. The muscles in her legs had completely transformed. Super thin in the calves, almost like she had no meat on them at all, yet her thighs had almost doubled in size. In fact they had gotten so large that the seams of her pants had ripped in places. She had the urge to rip her pants off altogether since they itched so much against her skin. Her torso felt disgusting and itchy beneath the fabric of her clothing as well but appeared to be the same shape.

"LIGHTS!" She cried. "Alek, pull out your whistle and brighten the sodding lights!"

He shook his head. "I think it would be best if we…"  
>"NOW, Alek!"<p>

"No."

"What do you mean, 'no'?"

He opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself. Instead he filled her cup with water again and handed it to her. She was so parched she sucked it down instantly, quickly forgetting what they had been arguing about and enjoying the cool water down her throat instead. When that was done she handed him back the cup and pointed at the pitcher. "Just bring me the whole barking jug."

He obliged and soon she was gulping straight from the pitcher and had almost finished that when the door of the room snapped open.

"…..not possible! That room is bolted and soldered shut; there is no way he could have gotten inside. And even so, he couldn't contract the illness, it's not biologically feasible." Said the rushed and queasy voice of Dr. Busk.

"Well, I can assure you that Mr. Sharp is very, very ill. Now if you please, doctor," Count Volger said, shoving the other man into the bedroom. "Have a look and tell us what you think."

Dr. Busk must have just woken up. His clothing was completely disheveled as if Volger had forced him into his shirt and pants before ushering him across the gondola. Alek and Volger might have been completely drenched from the storm, but Dr. Busk was still dry as thistle. This made it all the worse when he fell into a rather prominent puddle of black puke at the foot of the bed.

"EEEEE GADS!" He stuttered. "What in the heavens….!"

"I believe you would call that vomit. But then again, I wouldn't know the exact term seeing as that I am not a surgeon nor a Darwinist." Volger sneered. "So stop gawking and get to work, doctor."

But the man was still huddling on the floor, examining the vomit in horror.

"This is no ordinary body excrement. This is old blood and this…..my god….this is part of the digestive tract!"

Deryn felt her mouth go completely dry again. "But…no! How in the blood hell would my digestive tract be on the floor?"  
>The doctor finally looked up from the floor and made eye contact with Deryn. His face seemed to swell and shake as he took in the appearance of her body.<p>

"It appears that you have contracted the beginning symptoms _Ophthalmias Corpus._" He sighed.

"Latin," Alek spoke up. "for, uh, fish body?"

Dr. Busk nodded. He took a heavy sigh before continuing, albeit a bit more cheerfully. "The Mermaid Flu, as it's called on the street. I wouldn't worry too much though It usually only passes on the double X chromosome. This must have been the case of a mutation in the genes, but I find it highly unlikely that the illness will continue into its higher stages."

Deryn gulped. "You said it only passes on the double X chromosome."

"Yes!" The man smiled fully. "So I would say that you have nothing to worry about. Well, besides problems with your digestion."

The man looked completely relieved while Alek and Volger stood beside him with looks of utter bewilderment on their faces.

"Beg your pardon, but what do you mean by…um….chromosomes?" Alek asked.

Dr. Busk made a clicking sound with his tongue. "I forgot that I was among Clankers, of course. Every human being has twenty two pairs of chromosomes making up their genetic code, plus two more sex chromosomes. A male would have a Y and an X sex pair, where as a female would have two X's." He crossed his arms and frowned, apparently annoyed that he had to explain such basic information to the Clankers. "In this case, the genetic disorder of Mermaid Flu only passes onto a double X chromosome. So it is very strange that Mr. Sharp has contracted the illness."

Count Volger seemed to understand immediately, for as soon as Dr. Busk was done speaking he looked Deryn in the eye with pity.

Alek, on the other hand, was still confused.

"I still don't understand. There are letter Xs and Ys in Dylan's body?"

Dr. Busk rolled his eyes. "The disease is only contagious to women." He groaned.

Comprehension dawned on the prince like someone had dropped a bucket of ice water on his head.

"So, I'm just curious, but what would happen if Dylan were a woman?" Volger asked while Alek continued to stand there like a loon.

Dr. Busk pulled a pair of glasses out of his front shirt pocket before answering.

"Well, in that case he, I mean, _she_ would transform into the creature we have been transporting, a part frog part human fabrication."

Both Alek and Volger snapped their heads back to face Deryn. The immense fear in their faces made her a tad nauseas again.

"It's a horrible malformation, one that the British Empire has been trying to correct for years. A few women have been…."

He stopped abruptly because the door of the room had once again been shoved open and Dr. Barlow rushed inside.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!" She belted. "DR. BUSK!"

The ship's surgeon quickly ran to the other side of the room and tried to cower behind the bed.

"My….oh dear….well, if it isn't Dr. Barlow. Good evening, ma'am, and what brings you here at this time of night?"

The lady boffin was shivering she was so angry. Deryn had never seen her show such emotion before, let alone yell at the top of her lungs. She seemed to have just come out of the rain because her clothes and hair were drenched. Even so, Dr. Barlow was still fully dressed in an elegant Victorian gown complete with bowler hat, petticoats and pointy heels.

"You had that…that MONSTER on board and you didn't tell me!" She shrieked. Even in the dim room Deryn could tell that her face was red with anger.

"I…but um, yes miss. The captain ordered that…"

"You think I care what that retched abominable man has to say!" She stomped across the floor to come face to face with the other doctor. "I didn't believe the Count when he told me that Mr. Sharp was vomiting black bile, but once I heard the other symptoms; shortness of breath, poor circulation, webbed fingers and pale skin, believe me, doctor, I had a very strong recollection of what might be happening!"

"But ma'am, I assure you that there is nothing to worry about. The genetics won't allow it."

She huffed. "On the contrary, Mr. Busk, the genetics are perfect. Mr. Sharp is female."

There was a long silence before Dr. Busk took a deep breath and replied.

"You don't say?" He looked Deryn over in suspicion.

"Yes, but that is beside the point. Doctor, how did this get on to the _Leviathan _in the first place!"

Dr. Busk finally pulled his prying eyes away from Deryn's form and turned to answer Dr. Barlow. "We acquired the lady on the _Leviathan's _maiden voyage across the Atlantic. The boffins in New Orleans were unable to house her any longer because she was too dangerous. Therefore she needed to be brought somewhere where she could be isolated from the public and away from other females. A ship with new Darwinist technology and a full male crew seemed the ideal location for such a specimen."

Dr. Barlow blinked. "And it never occurred to you that you should warn me about said specimen once I was aboard, seeing as that _I _am female."

Busk shuffled his feet awkwardly and cleared his throat. "The idea did cross my mind, but we decided it would be better if you didn't know about the contagion. Barely anyone knows about her at all, so we figured it would take too much explanation on our part to explain the details about the disease. I am curious though, Dr. Barlow, how you already know so much about _Ophthalmias Corpus_?"

"Is that what they are calling it now?" She shuddered. "To answer your question, I was on location when the _thing_ was created." She mumbled.

Now it was Dr. Busk's turn to look surprised. "You were in New Orleans with Dr. Norton?"

"Indeed." She said. "And I regret now that I didn't follow up on what happened after he created such a monstrosity. Is the man still around?"

Dr. Busk frowned and shook his head. "I'm afraid not. It's a very tragic story, actually, perhaps not the best to…."

"Tragic it may be, yet I still wish to hear it." She said strongly.

He bit his lip before continuing. "Molly was so furious that her husband had made her into such a terrible being, she killed him."

Dr. Barlow narrowed her eyes. "That's not possible. Those two were madly in love."

"They may have been, but apparently things change once one has been brought back from the grave."

Deryn felt shivers creep down her spine.

"Woah, hang on a tick, brought back from the grave?" She asked.  
>Both doctors turned to her and nodded sadly.<p>

"The woman who did this to you used to be dead." Dr. Busk explained. "Now she is living on our ship as a prisoner until we find the proper way to cure her disease."

Deryn wrapped her clammy itchy arms around herself.

"And now I'm going to be like her?"

"I'm afraid so, _Miss _Sharp." Dr. Busk sighed. "And I am deeply sorry for it."

In the distance Deryn thought she heard the sad wailing of the creature called Molly. It was faint and barely noticeable, but to Deryn it was louder than all the thunder and wind blowing from the storm outside.

"What's going to happen to me?" She asked timidly.

Nobody answered.


	5. Chapter 5

**London, Nine Weeks Later**

Her favorite time of day was sun fall. The small laboratory windows faced west over the city and whenever the sun was setting she could make out the lovely colors it displayed against the buildings of London Town.

It was her only glimpse of the outside world and probably would be the only one she would get for the rest of her life. Deryn sighed and lifted a webbed hand out of the water to rest her chin upon it. At least she had dinner to look forward to.

Mealtimes were another slight distraction from her long days of sitting and staring out the window. Unfortunately it was no longer the food that Deryn enjoyed. Raw fish and insects were the only thing her stomach could handle, although she longed for anything else. Her tummy grumbled and gurgled as she remembered the taste of hot bread, sausages, gravy and potatoes. She could smell it drifting in through the vents from the kitchen four stories below. Her sense of smell had tripled in strength, one of the many differences she would have to get used to. Her hearing and eyesight were better too, but not nearly as sensitive as her smell.

Other changes included her longer arms, fingers and toes. Her hair was completely gone, replaced by a scaly scalp. Every day her ears got smaller and smaller. The boffins guessed they would eventually soak into her head altogether. But the worst was the new skin. It was pale green in color and itchy and slimy to the touch unless she was completely drenched in pond water. And although natural frogs were accustomed to cool water temperatures, her human side wasn't. That meant she had to sit uncomfortable in frigid water all day so her skin didn't dry out.

Another thing about being a frog was that you couldn't wear clothing. The fabric felt awful and heavy so she hadn't been too upset to give it up, yet it was weird swimming around naked all the time while the doctors were running around doing experiments.

So far, living in a lab was terribly dull. She was stuck with seeing the same three people day in and day out. They were Dr. Barlow's assistants; three young men from the university who were researching amphibian biology. None of them were very talkative and they mainly treated her like some sort of specimen. Deryn would have killed for talking to anyone else, even Dr. Barlow. But the lady boffin had denied herself access to Deryn's room, seeing as that the contagion spread only to women. Although the men weren't taking any chances either. Any time they came near her, it was in rubber body suits from head to toe.

"Time for your evening meal, Miss Sharp." Said a voice from above. Deryn looked up and nodded to the message lizard perched on the ceiling above her. They even sent lizards in to talk to her in close quarters these days, terrified that the pathogens would become airborne.

"Bring it in," She said. "end message."

The lizard scampered away and soon a man shoved open the door to the lab carrying a tray of dead carp. She recognized him at once from his scent. Mr. Heffer was the easiest to recognize because he was the only one of the crew who wore cologne. The flowery scent that flooded into the room when he entered reminded her of locusts swarming into an empty field.

"Good evening, Deryn, I hope you are doing well." He said from inside his gas mask.

She smiled at him. "As well as always, sir."

He opened the two way hatch of the tank and dumped the fish in. She dove down at once to retrieve the smelly carcasses.

That was the only nice thing about being a frog woman, she could swim beautifully. It was almost like flying. So much so, it was even better than flying because she could control her movements with the smallest kick or push instead of depending on a Huxley or a balloon to carry her. Almost as much as she yearned for human contact, Deryn itched for real swimming. She had begged multiple times for a larger aquarium or even to be let outside to swim in the river. Of course, these options had been turned down immediately. She already had the largest tank in the city, even if it was only a twenty foot cube, and if they let her outside she could contaminate thousands.

Putting the idea out of her mind, she snatched the carp off of the tank floor before returning to the surface to breathe and eat her dinner.

"You have a visitor this evening." Heffer said. She almost choked on the fish when he said it. Mr. Heffer was filling out a clipboard of data and therefore didn't see her reaction but only continued to drawl on like a sodding parrot. "They can't stay too long, so I've had them set up a uniform and mask. They should be in any minute."

"Who is it?"  
>"Hmm, couldn't say. I only saw the wagon pull up and never watched them walk in. I believe it might be your mother again."<p>

Deryn groaned. The only person who had come to visit her while she was here was her Mum. The visits had been few and far from pleasant. Mrs. Sharp only talked about how miserable her daughter looked. If only Deryn had stayed home instead of running off on that rotten airship! None of this would have happened and she probably would have decent fiancé by now as well.

Feeling like less than frog piss, Deryn let her body sink to the bottom of the tank where the water was murkier and she wouldn't be able to see her mother entering into the room.

"Is that all, Miss Sharp?" Heffer said, "All right then, I'll send her in."

The door clicked and Deryn smelled the fading of Heffer's cologne. As soon as the flowery scent had left the room, another one took its place. It smelled like iron, or old coins mixed with leather. A very different scent from her mother's cottony fresh odor, but familiar all the same. Curious, Deryn kicked herself to the surface again and watched the figure entering the room.

He was shorter than her mother (but then again, who wasn't) and probably shorter than most of Barlow's assistants as well since the rubber outfit was bunching strangely at his ankles. He tripped a bit over the large rubber boots but regained his balance before looking up at her and waving. Through the gasmask Deryn recognized the dark green eyes looking out at her through the glass. She beamed.

"ALEK!" She squealed.

"Hello, Deryn." His eyes smiled, then widened as he took in her full image. She suddenly felt very naked in front of him. Green she may be, but there was no hiding the fact that she wasn't wearing anything. Alek was a gentleman though, and quickly averted his eyes to her face.

"Ummmm, I see that you are… ahem….fairing well?"

"Aye." She scowled at him. "I'm just peachy."

The only part of his face she could see were his eyes, which were now bent with concern and worry.

"I've missed you." He said sadly.

Silence filled the tiny room as Deryn pondered what to say to him. The transformation had treated both of them poorly. Alek may not be a frog himself, but he still had lost almost everything once she had become one. He had given up his whole bloody kingdom for her, and now he couldn't even come close to her without a protective rubber suit. Blisters, it wasn't fair.

"I've missed you too, Alek." She mumbled. "Did you get my letters?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "And you mine?"

"Aye," She smiled. "They are the highlight of my week!" Which was true. Alek was an amazing writer and enjoyed sending her long detailed accounts of his adventures around Europe. Now that he was working for Dr. Barlow the boffin had him traveling all over with important diplomatic missions to complete.

"By the way, I brought you something." He said, suddenly shifting around with a bag full of fancy fabric that she hadn't seen earlier.

"If it's a dress I may have to kill you." She said jokingly. Alek only shook his head before removing a small shiny object from the inside of the bag.

"It's a waterproof pen!" He said with delight. "And I had them put it on a chain for you so you can wear it and it doesn't float away!"

Deryn shook her head slightly. "Too bad they don't make waterproof paper." She said.

"I agree." Alek said, his voice instantly saddened. "I assure you though, as soon as I find someone who makes it, I will purchase you a thousand kilograms of the stuff."

Deryn laughed. "You dafty! I don't need any paper."

She meant it to make him feel better, but the comment seemed to make him more depressed.

"Does that mean you don't like it?" He asked softly, holding the silver pen out in his large rubber gloves.

"Blisters, Alek! Of course I like it! It's beautiful. Now put it in the tank hatch so I can hold it."

The tank hatch was about five feet from the floor of the tank. It was a double door mechanism that allowed someone to open it without dumping water all over the floor. It also prevented anyone from getting too close to Deryn and possible coming into contact with her disease.

Alek found the crank to open the door, but seemed to be having difficulty unscrewing it.

"A proper crank would turn counter clockwise." He explained to her. "This one is just a poor Darwinist reproduction. In Austria there wouldn't be nearly this much difficulty adjusting pressure between the chamber and the room."

Deryn rolled her eyes. Barking Clankers and their metal gears and cranks.

"Are you really going on about proper cranks, now?" She teased.

He looked up at her from the floor. From the top of the tank he was nearly twenty feet below her.

"How do they usually open the hatch?" He asked

She shrugged. "I guess they're just bigger and stronger than you." Which wasn't technically true, she was just saying so to pick on Alek a tad. In fact, Heffer had to use a large wrench to open the thing earlier.

Alek's eyes narrowed beneath his mask.

"This is ridiculous!" He finally belted before releasing the crank and stepping back in fury.

"Alek, there's a wrench…"

"This shouldn't be this difficult!"

"Hey, dafty. If you use the wrench, you can open the hatch in a pinch."

"That's not the point!" He screamed. Then, to Deryn's surprise, he began climbing the step ladder which stretched the twenty feet to the top of the tank.

"Woah, what are you doing! You can't climb that!" She shouted at him.

"I shouldn't have to open a God damn crank every time I want to give you something!" He said as he reached the top of the ladder. "Why can't I hand it to you face to face like a normal person? Is that too much to ask!"

His voice had nearly doubled in volume and he was climbing the ladder so quickly Deryn was afraid he'd fall.

"Careful!" She screamed. "Don't get too close, _dummkopf, _I'm contagious!"

Alek reached the top of the ladder so he was finally at eyelevel with her at the top of the tank. Although he was more than a foot away from where she was floating, Deryn immediately backed away so she wouldn't come into contact with her friend.

"Get back over here!" He snarled. "Don't make this even more humiliating." It was the loudest she had ever heard him shout at her.

"Alek, I can't! You know that the disease is highly infectious!"

He snorted from the inside of his mask. "I sincerely doubt it! I came into contact with you hundreds of times the night you got sick. I even _carried _you around while you were transforming! If anyone would have caught this infection from you it would have been me and it would have been weeks ago."

"But….the boffins say that it's becoming worse! We can't risk it! You should climb down now and…."

"So, that's it. I can't ever speak to you again? I can't even come and see you without wearing a suffocating mask? Nor can I hold your hand or embrace you. Or kiss you?"

Baffled, Deryn simply stared at him for a second before she was able to find the ability to speak.

"You think this is easy for me?" She finally snapped. "You think I want to stew in a fish bowl for the rest of my life without any human contact whatsoever! Blisters, Alek! It's horrible enough knowing that I have to suffer with this wretched sickness, but the idea of transferring it to you? Don't make me have to live with that guilt!"

Alek didn't answer her. Instead he balled up a rubber gloved fist and tossed something into the tank. Deryn watched as something shiny passed through the pond water and settle into the depths of the murky pool. Her heart sank as well as she realized that it was the pen he had brought for her.

` "Alek…"

"Maybe I should go." He said, suddenly very quiet. "Goodbye, Deryn." He made to climb back down the ladder so she quickly swam over to stop him.

"No, wait!" And without thinking, she breached the barrier between them and shot her flippery hand out for his arm. She snatched his wrist and held tight, preventing him from further descending the ladder.

Electricity shot through her body as it always did whenever she touched him. Even with the ridiculous rubber gloves and suit she could still feel the heat of his skin against her cold clammy hand.

Realizing at once the danger she could be putting him in she immediately released him.

"I'm so sorry!" She cried.

"Don't be." Alek shrugged. Unlike her he was now completely calm. The touch of her hand must have numbed his anger. "I can't fight with you anymore. Not like this, at least."

Then, with one simple gesture, Alek slipped the gloves off completely before tossing them on the ground beneath him. Once his hands were bare, he unfastened the gasmask and pulled it off his head with a forceful pop.

"BARKING SPIDERS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

"Calm down. There's nothing to worry about."

"PUT YOUR MASK BACK ON!"  
>He shook his head and reached his hand out for her. Instinct kicked in and Deryn shoved herself away from him. With just a few paddles, she was halfway across the water in the opposite direction of the prince.<p>

"Come back, Deryn!"

She wouldn't. Not in million years. Not even if the building fell down and her tank exploded and she was stuck living in the zoo for the rest of her life with nothing by message lizards for company.

"I'm fine looking at you from over here." She said. And she did look at him. _Really _look at him. Because, honestly, she hadn't seen a human face without a rubber gas mask in weeks. And this was Alek. The boy she had fallen in love with months ago. The boy she had just started to get to know as more than a friend when the stupid world decided to flip itself over and turn her into a zombie frog.

Bless him; he still looked the same as she remembered. His hair was that lovely reddish brown, and his eyes still shown a brilliant green. Not swampy green like her own skin, but a rich jade green that reminded her of forests and precious stones.

She could tell that Alek was really looking at her as well. His eyes were passing over her face, her bald scalp, the strange shape of her arms and legs. Naked though she was, she felt even more ashamed of her bizarre new greenness then of her nudity. She wished he would stop looking.

"I wonder," Alek finally interrupted the silence, "if you did, in fact, let me kiss you?"

"Wha…?" What loony ideas were drifting through the gears of his Clanker mind?

"Maybe I'd change you back!" He laughed. "Like in the stories!"

Deryn snorted and crossed her arms. "You're kidding."

He sighed. "It's just a joke. I was trying to lighten the mood."

"This isn't like the fairy tale stories, Alek. And I seem to remember the kiss had to come from a princess, not a prince." She allowed herself to grin a bit. "And anyways, you wouldn't want to kiss me. I look like a toad."

He shook his head. "You look beautiful."

Strange how those three little words made her go frozen with shock. She was so utterly surprised at what he had said that she didn't notice that he had slipped off his heavy rubber boots until it was too late. About ten seconds later, Alek's boots were tossed on the floor and Alek himself was diving headfirst into the tank. She didn't even react to his sudden movement until he had swum up beside her and wrapped his arms around her torso.

"BLISTERS, what are you doing!"

"Kissing you, of course." He smiled before locking his lips against hers. She realized by now that it was too late to stop herself from kissing him back. Her long webbed feet easily treaded water to keep them both afloat as she pulled him closer in her arms.

It was the hottest kiss they had ever shared. Literally the hottest kiss since his body temperature was probably sixty degrees warmer than hers. It made her head swim as her freezing skin seemed to scorch and burn against his body.

Alek didn't seem to mind that she was a bit cold blooded. He was too busy gasping through his nose and trying to pull her closer to him. His human fingers were running up and down her back and sides and she realized, once again, how naked she was. This only made kissing more exciting.

A shout from the distance echoed in her head for a moment. Someone was yelling her name, but she was much too concentrated on Alek to notice.

"MISS SHARP! Unhand him at once!" Came the shout again, this time closer and more shrill. Alek seemed to realize first and pulled away from her kiss. There was an evil little smirk on his face that made her want to kiss him again, but that soon vanished when she noticed who was screaming at them.

"Count…Count Volger!" She stammered. "I didn't notice you were there."

"That is a very obvious statement, Miss Sharp. I had been screaming at you for quite a while." He was perched at the top of the ladder, a rubber suit thrown over himself rather roughly as he must have rushed into the room a second ago. She could see his eyes were aflame with thunderbolts as he glared at them both from beneath a gasmask.

"Good heavens, man, where did you come from?" Alek asked rather calmly. He still had his arms around her even though Volger was looking like he was ready to swallow Alek whole.

"The next room over. Apparently you two must not have realized that the doctors have you on full surveillance." He pointed angrily over his shoulder to the two way mirror over the door of the laboratory. Deryn groaned. She had forgotten for a moment that the boffins were watching her at all times.

"That doesn't give you the right…" Alek began

"Indeed, I think in this case, your highness, it does." He reached one long skinny arm across the water and snatched Alek by the ear before prying him away from her. "Good evening, Miss Sharp, I believe Aleksander and I will be on our way."

"Unhand me, sir! That is a command!" Alek shouted. Volger tutted and scooped Alek out of the tank with one hand.

"You can't command me anymore, Alek. You gave up your empire, remember?"

Alek had started to shout something rude in German but Deryn suddenly felt like her ears weren't working properly. It felt like they had filled with water and that she was hearing Alek's voice through a long tunnel.

An instant later her head began to throb and her lips where Alek had just kissed her felt like they were freezing off. Like a waterfall, the icy touch on her lips spread over her face, scalp and neck before covering her entire body all the way down to her toes. She shivered and cried out as her ears and head filled with more of the strange cracking pain.

Then, as soon as it had hit her, the pain and tingling were gone. She was still blistering cold, but it wasn't nearly as frightening, just a reminder that she was swimming in a gigantic tank of frigid pond water.

The Count was struggling to pull Alek out of the door of the room. The boffins were there as well, all of them wrestling the angry prince to the ground. It was strange to see Alek behaving so childishly. She kicked herself over to the side of the tank with much more difficulty than usual. Normally she could swim the distance in one simple movement, but her feet felt oddly weak for some reason. She stretched her hands out to grab the glass rim of the tank and pull herself up to see the commotion. Alek was pointing at her like some sort of mad act at the circus.

"Would you just look at Deryn! Let go of me, you fool, and look at the poor girl." He snapped.

Eventually the men appeared to give up and dropped Alek with a violent thud. All of them had turned to face her. Four sets of wide, confused eyes stared up at her from behind the gasmasks.

"What?" She asked with a frown. "Are you going to just stare at me?" She pointed a finger at the Count. "He's the one you should be dragging out of here, not Alek."

Then it hit her. She was pointing a finger. She HAD fingers. Lifting her hands to her face, Deryn swore loudly and wriggled her pink tiny hands like a madwoman. They were cold, skinny and all prune like from the water. But, blisters, they were still HANDS!

"A kiss from a prince, who would have thought?" Alek grinned.

She was about to cry, but couldn't because a mouthful of water had choked her as she sank a bit without the use of her hands. Apparently, swimming wasn't as easy as it was a few minutes ago.

With some struggling she kicked herself back up to the surface with a cough and a bit of spitting.

"Hurry, men, get her out of that blasted tank." Volger commanded. The boffins unfroze themselves from their shock and began scurrying up the ladder.

"Anything we can get for you, Miss Sharp?" One of them asked. She realized it was Heffer, even though she couldn't smell his cologne anymore.

"AYE!" She squealed. She new instantly the first thing she wanted. "Some sausage and gravy please! And if you bring me another blasted fish, I may have to clock you!"

They all laughed although she couldn't understand why. She had never been more serious in her life.


End file.
